‘Return To Seoul’ Wins Best Narrative Feature at 30th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival

HamptonsFilm today announced the full list of feature and short film award winners for the 30th anniversary edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival, including the Audience Award winners in the Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Short Film categories.

Davy Chou’s RETURN TO SEOUL, distributed by Sony Picture Classics and following a girl who finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about after returning to South Korea for the first time since she was adopted and raised in France, won this year’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Christopher Sharp & Moses Bwayo’s BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT, distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films and chronicling the story of Bobi Wine, the musician-turned-politician leading the opposition to the 35-year regime in Uganda, won this year’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. Kyle Thrash and Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON, which tells the story of Michael Thompson, the longest-serving nonviolent offender in Michigan history, whose daughter and his lawyer fight for his clemency, won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at this year’s edition of HIFF.

Previously announced feature and short competition award winners for this year’s festival include CLOSE for Best Narrative Feature, PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS for Best Documentary Feature, SNOW IN SEPTEMBER for Best Narrative Short Film, and WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD for Best Documentary Short Film.

Masha Novikova’s GLORIOUS REVOLUTION was awarded the 2022 Peter Macgregor-Scott Memorial Award. The award, which is accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize, aims to continue the celebrated producer’s mentorship for a new generation of passionate filmmakers. Sponsored by Susan Macgregor-Scott, this award is specifically designed to recognize narrative short filmmakers and reward creative approaches to solving practical production challenges in the service of storytelling.

Evgeny Afineevsky’s FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM was awarded the 2022 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict & Resolution, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.

Volker Schlöndorff’s THE FOREST MAKER was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice. The annual award is handed to a film that exemplifies the values of peace, equality, global justice and civil liberties, and is named after iconic civil rights lawyer Victor Rabinowitz and his wife Joanne Grant, an author, filmmaker and journalist. The award, which is accompanied by a cash prize of $2,000, is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.

Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO was awarded the Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award. This award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection. The film was awarded $2,500.

Pepi Ginsberg’s THE PASS was awarded the Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant. This program supports the completion of high quality, original, director-driven, low-budget independent films from both emerging and established filmmakers who have completed 50% of principal photography within Suffolk County. The film was awarded a $3,000 grant.

Laura Checkoway’s THE CAVE OF ADULLAM and Ellie Foumbi’s OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL were awarded the New York Women in Film & Television Awards. These two awards honor outstanding female narrative and documentary filmmakers who have demonstrated exceptional artistic vision and dedication to their craft. Each award is accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize.

The festival also announced the recipients of the University Short Film Awards, highlighting the extraordinary talent and achievements of five exceptional students. Each will receive a $500 cash prize. Awardees include BERRY PICKERS, directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson, GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova, MOTHERLAND, directed by Christina Yoon, TEXTURES, directed by Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong, and WET, directed by Marianne Bergeonneu, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, and Elvira Taussac.

“We are so thankful to all of the artists who allowed us to share their films and incredible stories with our film-loving community,” said David Nugent, HamptonsFilm Artistic Director. “As our 30th anniversary edition of this year’s festival comes to an end, I would like to take a moment to congratulate the talented winners and all the filmmakers who made this year’s edition so special.”

“It has been a privilege to screen such a robust and inspiring selection of films as we celebrate 30 years of sharing stories with audiences out East,” said Anne Chaisson, HamptonsFilm Executive Director. “We would like to take a moment to wholeheartedly thank all of our filmmakers, audience members, staff, sponsors, and volunteers for making this milestone edition of HIFF a great success.”

Of the 69 feature films and 51 shorts screened as part of the 2022 Hamptons International Film Festival, 53% were female-directed and 38% were directed by filmmakers of color. 37 countries were represented at this year’s edition of HIFF.

Attendees of the 2022 festival included Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, Mariska Hargitay, Chelsea Clinton, Stephanie Hsu, Hugh Jackman, Kaitlyn Dever, Jordana Brewster, Bob Balaban, Adam Pally, Reid Scott, Keith Beauchamp, Crystal Reed, Martin McDonagh, Chris Columbus, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Peter Hedges, Rory Kennedy, Cristian Mungiu, Oliver Hermanus, Austin Bragg, Meredith Bragg, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Christina Jackson, Cory Michael Smith, Todd Flaherty, Wyatt Fenner, Joey Taranto, Raúl Castillo, Davy Chou, Park Ji-min, Antonia Buresi, Laura Checkoway, Patricia E. Gillespie, Sadaf Foroughi, David Petersen, Robert S. Bader, Dick Cavett, Xavier Manrique, Mike Doyle, Moses Bwayo, Jules Naudet, Gedeon Naudet, Ellie Foumbi, Souléymane Sy Savané, Daniel Goldhaber, Sacha Jenkins, JD Dillard, Ricki Stern, Ryan White, Ben Klein, Violet Columbus, Karen Maine, Nancy Buirski, Matthew Heineman, Mia Hansen-Løve, Michael H. Weber, Carter Burwell, Joseph Cross, Misty Copeland, Steven Melendez, Rodrigo García, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Amy Loughren, Lola Quivoron, Jordan Sjol, Roger Sharpe, Christine Choy, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein, Cynthia Wade, Chris Hegedus, Volker Schlöndorff, Josh Seftel, Sinéad O’Shea, Evgeny Afineevsky, Chris Smith, Donna Karan, and more.

The 30th Annual Hamptons Film Festival closed Sunday, October 16, 2022, at the conclusion of an extended 10-day event. HIFF thanks the supporters for this year’s festival, including returning Premiere Sponsor Audi; Signature Sponsors Netflix, Silvercup Studios, Variety, and Gibson Dunn; and Supporting Sponsor Regal Cinemas; as well as new Lead Sponsor The Macallan; Supporting Sponsors Crystal Head Vodka and Dragon Hemp; official Media Sponsors WNBC, The East Hampton Star, The Purist, WNET, Long Island Broadcast Radio EHM, 101.7 The Beach, and 102.5 BAZ; and long term support from New York State Council on the Arts, and Suffolk County Film Commission. For more information, please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CONGRATULATES THE 2022 WINNERS:

Audience Award: Narrative Feature

RETURN TO SEOUL, directed by Davy Chou

Audience Award: Documentary Feature

BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT, directed by Christopher Sharp & Moses Bwayo

Audience Award: Short Film

THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON, directed by Kyle Thrash & Haley Elizabeth Anderson

HIFF Award for Best Narrative Feature
CLOSE, directed by Lukas Dhont

HIFF Award for Best Documentary Feature

PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS, directed by Sinéad O’Shea

HIFF Award for Best Narrative Short Film

SNOW IN SEPTEMBER, directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir

HIFF Award for Best Documentary Short Film

WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, directed by Nathan Truesdell

The Peter Macgregor-Scott Memorial Award

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova

The 2022 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict and Resolution

FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky

Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant

THE PASS, directed by Pepi Ginsberg

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award

EO, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice

THE FOREST MAKER, directed by Volker Schlöndorff

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Awards

OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL, directed by Ellie Foumbi (Narrative)

THE CAVE OF ADULLAM, directed by Laura Checkoway (Documentary)

University Short Film Awards

BERRY PICKERS, directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova

MOTHERLAND, directed by Christina Yoon

TEXTURES, directed by Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong

WET, directed by Marianne Bergeonneau, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, Elvira Taussac

HIFF Narrative Feature Jury

Fred Berner, producer, whose work includes the Oscar-winning POLLOCK, VANYA ON 42nd STREET, THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, and THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO

Jeb Brody, producer, whose work includes 1917, FINCH, and the upcoming THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at The Museum of Modern Art

HIFF Documentary Feature Jury

Opal H. Bennett, producer, known for her work on POV Shorts which won the 2020 IDA Award for Best Short Form Series

Jordan Hoffman, writer, whose work can currently be read at Vanity Fair, The A.V. Club, The Guardian, and The Times of Israel

Regina Scully, producer, founder and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, who has produced over 200+ documentary films

ABOUT HAMPTONSFILM

HamptonsFilm, home of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), based in East Hampton on the Eastern End of Long Island, was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, an annual Screenwriters Lab, a summer documentary showcase, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy.  HIFF, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is an annual premiere film event in New York State with an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. Awarding prizes to filmmakers in cash and goods and services of over $130,000 each year, with over $4.5 million awarded in competition funds and services over the past 29 years, our program continues to play an important role during awards season. For 12 consecutive years, through the 2021 awards season, HIFF screened the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making it the only festival in the world with this distinction.  For more information, please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.